River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-11-10
STRAW AS STOCK FOOD.
Hints to Farmers Intending to Keep Stock
Through the Winter

Through the Winter.
Straw IS one by-product of the farm
which is not valued or utilized in many
localities rs it should be. As proof
of this | refer to the fact that thou
sands Of tons of straw are sold a one
dollar a load, the loads averaging
nearer two tons than one, and that in
very many places one can often count
from three TO six old straw stacks on
single farm each one containing a
years growth of straw on the farm.
Forty years ago. when | was a boy in
Indiana, it was q common practice of
farmers to winter cattle without any
grain. and after thay had eaten up the
stalk fields. which was usually by mid
winter, they were often shut up in the
barnyard TO get their entire living from
the straw stacks. twas not practice to
be recommended or followed, for the
cattle were always spring poor, but
the fact that thousands of cattle lived
for months'on straw alone. and that the
farmers who fed a busael of corn per
head each week to the cattle at the
straw stacks. brought them through
the winter in good condition, shows
that straw contains valuable food ele-
ment.
In talking with a man who fed large
quantities of cattle on still slops he
told me that he found wheat straw bet
ter for the rough feed than hay.
There is one mem Der of the farmers
club TO which l belong. who keeps as
good spiri ed horses rs any one of my
acquaintance, who does not feed a
pound of hay to them from November
till blowing time in the spring. and
he tells me that his horses eat bright
straw and seem TO relish it as well as
the best of hay. He thinks they do bet
ter on it. The reason why cattle get
poor when fed on straw alone, is not
because il is not a wholesome food,
but because il is not well-balanced
ration, and IL we will supply the ami
NAL with the elements in which the
straw is deficient, then straw will
be found good substitute for hay. In
one of our latest works on agricultural
chemistry l believe TO be accu-
rate-I find a table giving the relative
food values of different farm products.
It takes corn rs the standard and calls
il 100. while oats is 80. wheat bran 67.
meadow hay 80. and wheat straw AZ.
If this table is correct il does not re-
quire heavy grain ration to be given
to the straw-fed animal to make IFS
food equal to hay in nutritious value.
Probably the best way to feed straw
is to chatf it. and mix the ground grain
with it. but as labor is costly with us,
it may bc, and often is the cheaper
plan 10 stack the straw well in the
barnyard and let the cattle help them
selves TO it, and feed them enough
grain to keep them thrifty. First
class beef can be made by heavy corn
feeding of cattle that have access to
the straw stack for their rough feed.
and if hogs are allowed to follow the
cattle. the corn may be fd whole with
very little loss. Ohe of the best cattle
feeders of my acquaintance follows
this plan, stabling his cattle at night
and giving them the run of the barn
yard. Cattle viii pull down
and waste quite a percentage of
the straw. but il keeps them dry and
comfortable under foot, and saves the
liquid manure from wasting. In most
of the drought-slricken localities the
wheat crop was good this year, the
straw bright and free from dust and
there never was a year when it would
pay better to get the food value out of
it. A little >prinkliug of brine will
make the straw more palatable to the
stock. and. believe. for any stock ex-
ccpt milch cows, il will be found good
substitute for hay. II is also much
cheaper when you have add ID enough
grain TO it to make it equally valuable.
! think also that n mixture of bran and
cob meal is the best and most econom-
zeal grain food to give with straw. and
that this ground food ought to be fed
mixed with an equal bulk of cut hay or
straw. so that it will be masticated in
chewing the cud. BY utilizing the
straw and feeding regularly as to time.
quantity and q ality of food, saving
of severa. cents each per day may be
made in wintering cattle. with no los
of flesh or thrift. The coming winter
seems to be a good time to practice
this kind of economy. - Waldo T.
Broom in Ohio Farmer